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Ukraine Still Holding onto Bakhmut Despite Fierce Fighting; Signs of Anti-War Sentiment Evident Within Russia; Afghans Facing Deadly Winter, Blockades to International Aid; Girl Taken from Ukraine Speaks at Kremlin's Pro-War Rally; Iran's Foreign Minister Answers Questions about Protests; Migrant Fleeing Tunisia Amid Threats; Chris Rock Addresses Oscars Slap in New Comedy Special. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired March 06, 2023 - 00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

LAILA HARRAK, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us all around the world. I'm Laila Harrak, and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

[00:00:34]

Despite all odds. Ukrainian forces still holding onto the city of Bakhmut, though the situation there is dire. The latest on the fighting.

Afghans facing a brutally cold winter. That, coupled with blocks to international aid adding up to deadly conditions.

And comedian Chris Rock finally speaking out after that infamous slap at last year's Academy Awards ceremony.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Laila Harrak.

HARRAK: We begin this hour in Ukraine, where one commander says the situation on the Eastern front lines and around the city of Bakhmut is, quote, "very much like hell."

Ukrainian forces still holding onto a key highway in Bakhmut amid a fierce battle as officials dismiss speculation of a possible Ukrainian withdrawal.

To the West in Zaporizhzhia, the city declared Monday a day of mourning after 13 people were killed when a missile slammed into a high-rise building late last week.

Meantime, Ukraine's energy minister says diplomatic efforts to return the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to Ukrainian control have stalled. The plant has now been under Russian control for a year. All this as Ukraine's president is thanking his forces for defending their country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I thank everyone whose life saved the life of Ukraine. I would like to pay special tribute to the bravery, strength and resilience of the soldiers fighting in Donbas. This is one of the hardest battles, painful and difficult.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: CNN's Melissa Bell has more now on the battle of Bakhmut.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What had felt for several days like the inevitable Russian advance onto the center of Bakhmut appears to have slowed. That's according to Ukrainian military commanders, who claim that there are still holding one of the main highways in and out of Bakhmut, and therefore, able to protect those crucial supply lines to the Ukrainian defenders, still doing all they can to hold a town that has been essentially besieged now for seven months.

We're speaking to the deputy mayor of the town, who says that the heavy artillery fire and mortar fire has only got worse, with Russian forces re-throwing everything they have at Bakhmut. Explaining also that it is only about 5 to 10 civilians that they're managing to evacuate right now, compared to 6 to 500 at the height of the evacuations at the end of February.

It is four and a half thousand civilians, of course, still trapped inside that town. And yet, according to Ukrainian commanders, a possibility that they have managed to hold the center and will continue to do so.

One commander describing the scene as hell and saying one day feels like an eternity, but it is necessary to hold on for every day that we can.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRAK: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says any negotiations to end the war in Ukraine will only happen when Russian President Vladimir Putin understands he won't win. In an exclusive interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria, Scholz also spoke about possible peace plans to end the conflict, postwar security guarantees for Ukraine and his candidacy for the European Union.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLAF SCHOLZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR: There will be no decisions without Europeans. We will not take decisions instead of them. We support them.

FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN ANCHOR: But should they -- would you encourage them to take these?

SCHOLZ: We told them that we could go for membership in the European Union, and they are very -- they are working to -- to make progress and all the criteria that are important for this.

I think they know that we were -- that we are ready to organize the certain way of security guarantee for the country in times of peace to come that we are not there yet. And, to my view, it is necessary that Putin understands that he will not succeed with this invasion and this imperialistic aggression. And that he has to withdraw troops.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: Well, as the war grinds on, we are seeing some signs of anti- war sentiment within Russia. Even as Moscow continues to crack down on resistance.

[00:05:06]

And that was evident late last month, when dozens of Russians were reportedly arrested for commemorating the one-year anniversary of the invasion. Some were detained simply for placing flowers at monuments to prominent Ukrainians.

According to the human rights group OVD Info, Russian police arrested more than 4,300 people last year during nationwide protests against the invasion.

HARRAK: Well, joining me now is Jill Dougherty. She is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, a CNN contributor and a former CNN Moscow bureau chief.

A very good day, Jill. Good to see you. Talk to us about these makeshift memorials of Ukrainian victims of Russia's war. What is the danger of protesting in Russia's current repressive context?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, right now, as we all know, it's extremely difficult for anyone to go onto the streets and even attempt to protest, because they will be arrested. They will be fined. Or something will happen to them. So very few people really, at this point, will go onto the streets.

But there have been these scattered -- they're usually small -- demonstrations, and they are really kind of, I would say, a very traditional Russian way of protesting or showing emotions. People coming out with flowers and leaving flowers at significant places.

And two of them that are located in Moscow I actually know very well, because I used to live by both of them. And there are statues to two poets, Ukrainian poets.

And so, Russian people are coming out, putting flowers. Sometimes they put little stuffed animals at these memorials, at these statues. And it is a way, I think, of protesting the war, no question.

But also trying to somehow, you know, make up for the damage and the death that the Russian troops have caused in Ukraine.

So they have flowers. And significantly, I was looking at pictures of those flowers. Red is a very traditional color. You know, a sign of patriotism and strong feelings. And then also, you see yellow flowers, which is, of course the Ukrainian yellow and blue flag.

HARRAK: Jill, what does this all signal to you? I mean, has the reality of Russia's war in Ukraine began to set in? I mean, can these small but very symbolic events that you just told us about turn into something bigger?

I mean, what's the likelihood that Russians, actually, who are opposing the war that they organize, mobilize, stage public protests? And are there other examples of civil disobedience?

DOUGHERTY: I would have to say, at this point, probably not. There are no indications that any mass movement is starting.

And if you look at the polling and the indications, you know, in the media, you do have to say -- we can't say precisely what percentage, but the majority of Russians do seem to support this.

And you would have to ask yourself why. Well, we've been saying here, 24-hour propaganda, saying that this war is justified. But also there is some deeper things that, you know, analysts, experts, and sociologists are looking at.

Which is some Russian people don't like this war. They wish it were not happening. But they're not going to demonstrate, because they feel the danger, actually, is to them, to the Russians. Because they are told by propaganda that Ukraine is going to attack them. That NATO is going to attack them.

So you can see, you know, some of the -- the effect of that propaganda.

HARRAK: In terms of activism, I'm hoping that you can just touch briefly on the fact, obviously, Alexei Navalny is currently serving a nine-year jail term at a maximum-security prison. What about his network of supporters? Are they still active in Russia?

DOUGHERTY: In Russia, it's very difficult. His staff are mainly outside of the country. They are probably people who support him.

But again, any type of dissent, any type of, you know, going onto the streets activity, which we used to see quite a lock -- I was at many of those protests -- they're never going to happen right now under these conditions. That doesn't mean that people don't, you know, privately support this.

But, at this point, I would say there's very little chance you're going to get any type of big demonstrations.

HARRAK: I want to get your take on an interesting development. Obviously, all eyes are on Bakhmut, where fierce fighting is raging. And in the midst of what's being described as the longest and deadliest battle in this war, Russia's defense minister made a rare visit to frontline troops. So, what does that tell you?

[00:10:04] DOUGHERTY: Well, I think it tells me that he felt, almost more for political reasons, symbolic reasons than any military reasons, that he had to get out there onto the -- onto the field and really show that he's -- he cares, that he's concerned, and that, you know, he's supporting the troops.

You've had a lot of give and take and a lot of criticism coming out from various groups. One of them would be the Wagner Group, those private military contractors, who have been criticizing the defense ministry for not providing weapons, et cetera.

So, I think Shoigu felt under pressure to really kind of show the flag and show his concern.

HARRAK: Jill Dougherty, thank you so very much. Always great getting your take. Thank you.

DOUGHERTY: Thank you.

HARRAK: After fleeing violence in Myanmar, thousands of people are now homeless again after a fire ripped through a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh.

The fire gutted around 2,000 huts in Cox's Bazar on Sunday. Refugee volunteers trained in firefighting eventually gained control off the flames. No deaths were reported, but around 12,000 people have been displaced.

Authorities are working with humanitarian groups to provide food and shelter to those impacted. And officials are investigating what caused the blaze.

The train station manager involved in Greece's deadly train collision is now in police custody. It comes after his court appearance in Larissa on Sunday.

The 59-year-old is charged for his alleged role in last week's head-on crash between a passenger train and freight train that's left at least 57 people dead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEFANOS PANTZARTZIDIS, LAWYER FOR TRAIN STATION MANAGER (through translator): The accused said everything. He told the truth. He was devastated. He said exactly what happened without fear that his words would make him bear more responsibility. If, from what he said, there's evidence that constitutes criminal offenses against him, it is something that justice will decide.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: Well, visitors have been lighting candles in memory of the victim at the courthouse where the case is being heard.

The crash is believed to have happened because one of the train drivers received instructions to ignore a red light. As millions of Afghans endure a brutal and deadly winter, humanitarian

groups urging the Taliban government to do more to help. We'll bring you some of the heartbreaking stories of loss, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRAK: It's been a deadly winter in Afghanistan, the coldest in more than a decade, according to the U.N. refugee agency.

But the company's humanitarian problems will disappear when spring arrives in a few weeks. Extreme poverty and hunger have only been made worse by Taliban policies limiting the assistance aid agencies can provide.

[00:15:14]

CNN's Anna Coren joins me now from Hong Kong with more.

Anna, the Afghans have endured so much hardship. What impact is the cutback in international aid having right now?

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Laila, it's a devastating impact. And, as always, it's the most vulnerable that pay the price.

Afghanistan may have fallen from the news headlines, but the needs of its 40 million people are greater now than they have ever been. They have, as you say, endured the most brutal winter in 15 years, in which countless Afghans have died.

But the situation is not going to improve as the weather begins to warm, with just a fraction of humanitarian aid reaching those whose lives depended upon it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COREN (voice-over): Fresh snow blankets the hilltops of the Ghor province in central Afghanistan, creating the illusion of a winter wonderland.

But for those who live here, there is no wonder, let alone glimmer of hope. Simply staying alive is a daily struggle.

For this family, their young son lost that battle. Now, they huddle around his hillside grave, offering prayers to 6-year-old Waheed (ph), who, just days ago, froze to death.

"I miss my brother, and that is why I came to visit him at the graveyard," she says.

Abdul Zahir (ph) moved his family to the township of Haruzkur (ph) in Ghor, looking for work as a laborer. In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, he was unable to make ends meet.

"I had nothing to burn to keep the house warm," he explains. "I checked on the children during the night, and their bodies were numb. I realized my son had died of frostbite." "This is a photo of him last year," he says. "And this is his dead

body."

An unprecedentedly brutal winter has claimed countless Afghan lives this year. But so, too, has extreme poverty.

This has been exacerbated by the repercussions of the Taliban government's dystopian gender policies. And the response by the international community.

Almost a year ago, the Taliban banned female secondary school students from attending school. That has morphed into a nationwide event on all female education.

But it was the Taliban's decision in December, banning women from working for non-governmental organizations, that forced humanitarian aid groups to abruptly halt or suspend operations.

JAN EGELAND, SECRETARY GENERAL, NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL: There is 28 million Afghans in desperate need at the moment. Twenty-eight million. And we're not even reaching a fraction of those.

COREN (voice-over): The Norwegian Refugee Council says they normally help 700,000 Afghans each year. But their operation has been drastically pared back.

Its secretary general recently traveled to Kabul, pleading with the Taliban to allow female aid workers to return to work.

EGELAND: It's at this worst hour. It's never been as bad as it is now.

COREN (voice-over): Thirty-five-year-old Soforo (ph) wipes away her tears as she grieves for her husband, who perished from the cold, also in Ghor province; father and breadwinner for their eight children, the youngest just 2.

Now, she's wondering how to keep her family alive.

"I have no education," she says. "My children need food. What should I do?"

Three of her children are girls, including 12-year-old Manwakat (ph), who knows all too well what happens to poor young Afghan girls who reach puberty.

"I am worried that, if we don't have food, my brothers will be forced to sell or marry me under pressure," she says. "I don't want to get married. I'm a kid. I don't want a husband."

U.S. charity Too Young to Wed said they've been able to provide emergency aid for the family and many others. The founder, Stephanie Sinclair, says the avalanche of need is overwhelming, and they're unable to help everyone.

STEPHANIE SINCLAIR, FOUNDER, TOO YOUNG TO WED: To me, it's unconscionable that the international community is not paying more attention to what's happening to women and girls in Afghanistan. It is simply just inexcusable that we're not doing everything in our power to try to change the course of what's happening there. We have to do better.

COREN (voice-over): And with the U.N. predicting two-thirds of the population will require humanitarian aid this year, Afghan children like Manwakat (ph) can only hope the world is listening.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN (on camera): Now Laila, the U.N. special rapporteur to Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, issued his report over the weekend, saying the humanitarian and economic crisis has further worsened in recent months and is now affecting almost the entire population.

[00:20:06]

Now, he took direct aim at the Taliban de facto government that has been in power for the last 18 months, specifically at its erasure of women and girls from education, the workplace and, of course, society.

This is an enormous problem for the international community and one of the main reasons for international sanctions against the Taliban and the freezing of billions of dollars in Afghan reserves.

the report said, quote, "The denial of women and girls' fundamental human rights may amount to gender persecution, a crime against humanity." Laila, the Taliban has yet to respond.

COREN: A heartbreaking situation in Afghanistan all around. Anna Coren reporting in Hong Kong. Thank you so much.

And just ahead, a girl from Ukraine finds herself speaking at a pro- war rally in Moscow. Why her appearance is raising fears of political reeducation.

Plus, the U.S. president travels to Alabama to commemorate a landmark event during the civil rights movement and makes a fresh call to protect voting rights. That story after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRAK: Russian propaganda and social media have given us a glimpse into Russia's practice of taking Ukrainian children and forcing them to be adopted and raised by Russian parents, a practice that is considered a war crime.

Melissa Bell has the story of a Ukrainian girl who went from occupied Mariupol to a pro-war rally in Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Vladimir Putin celebrating his army. The special guests this year, children bused in from Ukraine's occupied territories. ANYA NAUMENKO, BROUGHT TO MOSCOW FROM MARIUPOL (through translator):

Thank you for saving me, my sister and hundreds of hundreds of thousands of children in Mariupol.

I forgot a little.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Anya, don't be shy. Go hug Uncle Yuri. Everyone, give a hug. Look, it's the man who saved you all.

BELL (voice-over): But who is Anya?

By tracking down family members too scared to speak on-air, an exclusive CNN investigation has found the story of 13-year-old Anya Naumenko. Or Anya, as she's known. Who was brought especially from her foster family in Mariupol for the event in Moscow.

And behind the propaganda, Anya's own bewildered view, posted to her social media.

[00:25:04]

"Look at all the rows," she says, before being told where she will stand and what she will say.

It was a year ago that Anya's home town of Mariupol was pounded, devastating heavy artillery forcing its population underground to basements like this one. A refuge shared for much of the three-month- long siege by Anya, her family and Kateryna Pustovit, who's now in Germany. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw her onstage.

KATERYNA PUSTOVIT, FRIEND OF ANYA'S FAMILY (through translator): We were like a family. We saved ourselves, saved our lives.

BELL (voice-over): But in early April, Anya's mother Olga left the basement and was killed by Russian shelling.

Anya's grief for her mother, like so much else, innocently shared online. "I want to be with you," she writes.

By the end of the siege, Anya and her siblings were separated by their mother's death, Anya sent to a foster family in Mariupol.

Karim Khan, the head of the International Criminal Court, believes that through its propaganda, Moscow risks incriminating itself.

KARIM KHAM, CHIEF PROSECUTOR: INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT: Regarding Anya, it's very troubling. And the Rome Statute and, in fact, the Geneva Conventions make it clear regarding how children must be treated by occupying powers. The law is present. Too many think it's an optional extra.

BELL (voice-over): CNN has reached out to Russian officials for comment on the children featured in Putin's rally last week. Moscow has not responded. But, for all the tragedy of Anya's short life so far, the propaganda

event has brought her fresh troubles. Daily and violent threats under her adolescent posts. "Anya don't be shy. When we celebrate Mariupol again, you'll be hanging from a post downtown." Just one of the threats made but a reflection of so much more of the abuse young Anya has received.

PUSTOVIT (through translator): We need to stay human. She is a child who survived the war, famine, and lost her mother. She is small, even if she looks like an adult. She is a child.

BELL (voice-over): But children, as symbols of the future, play an important part in Orwellian displays of loyalty to Moscow. Like this one held in occupied Mariupol last week. Two visions of childhood: one carefree, the other twisted.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRAK: CNN's Christiane Amanpour recently sat down for an exclusive interview with Iran's foreign minister. Well, among the topics they discussed are the anti-government protests that have rocked Iran.

Christiane confronted him with CNN's reporting on the sexual abuse of protesters in Revolutionary Guard custody and pushed back on his denials. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: When you say the Islamic Republic of Iran respects human rights, one female protester says that she was detained inside a Revolutionary Guard facility for more than a month, and raped by three different men. She went to a cleric, a mullah, afterwards because she was having suicide thoughts. She was so upset. CNN spoke with that cleric.

Is that acceptable? Is it acceptable for a woman, whatever she's done, to be arrested and raped? And then there are many, many, many reports of sexual abuse in the situation against women and men.

HOSSEIN AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Firstly, in the peaceful demonstrations in the fall, no one was arrested.

AMANPOUR: So you are just denying that?

AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN (through translator): In those protests that have become violent, some individuals, some of whom who had entered Iran from the outside, they were using firearms and killing the police, were arrested.

You do know that the supreme leader absolutely issued an amnesty, and all those who are in prison were released, with the exception of those who had killed someone were being sued. Regarding the Iranian woman that you mentioned, I cannot confirm it.

There have been so many such baseless claims made on social media and in media.

AMANPOUR: OK these are not baseless, and they weren't on the Internet. CNN spoke to a cleric, a religious person inside your country and got this confirmed.

AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN (through translator): We have seen some of CNN's reports that are targeted and false.

AMANPOUR: That's not true. We report the facts, and we report the truth, and that's why you're sitting here with me, Mr. Foreign Minister. Can we move on?

I want to ask you. You have a wife. You may have sisters. Do you have daughters? I want to know what you think about peaceful protests for change in the way women are able to live their lives in Iran. The peaceful act of removing the scarf.

[00:30:07]

What do they say to you, the women in your family? What do they say to you?

AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN (through translator): First of all, I would like to say that, in Iran, we have the strongest democracy, especially compared to many other countries.

There are standards, and rules and regulations in every country. And the women have an important role in Iran. And they gained that role after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.

Today, the outside networks, they are turning the issue of hijab and head scarf into a political crisis. Women in Iran, within the framework of rules and regulations, enjoy extraordinary freedoms.

AMANPOUR: You see, the thing is I kind of know about this. So I also know that, at the beginning of the revolution, there was no hijab mandate. Those who wanted to wear hijab and a chador could. Those who didn't want to didn't.

Only several months or maybe a year after did the ayatollah say no. All you women have to go under the hijab.

So, again, I'm trying to find out what you and what the government is going to do. Because even -- even Ayatollah Khamenei recently have said, women who do not wear a hijab are not irreligious. They're not violating religion.

Some other people have said that. We've heard from the former speaker of Parliament, Mr. Larijani, who at the beginning said, Do we really need to make all this chaos over a hijab?

So I want to know whether you accept it, because it's also traditional women, older women who have one in the streets. It's men. It's young. It's very different than previous protests.

Do you accept that women can have peaceful demonstrations for change and for their own rights? Do they have the rights? You say it is the most developed democracy. Do women have the right, peacefully?

AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN (through translator): Unfortunately, in such issues, their approach is one of double standards. Let me ask you a question.

AMANPOUR: I don't want to get into a discussion. I'm asking you a question.

AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN (through translator): I want to ask you a question before answering your question. Let's see where all this started. An Iranian girl called Mahsa Amini. She passed away.

AMANPOUR: Because she was manhandled by the Morality Police.

AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN: Just a moment please.

AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN (through translator): Yes, a young girl, Mahsa Amini, passed away. They turned her into a symbol in order to change the system in Iran, in the name of defending women's freedom.

My question is this. Miss Shireen Abu-Akleh, who is a colleague of yours and is a journalist. She's a lady; she's a Christian. And in broad daylight, she was murdered by the Israeli regime. Who defended her?

AMANPOUR: Mr. Foreign Minister, the whole world, everybody defended her. And everybody condemned her death. Everybody.

AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN (through translator): What was the result of that?

AMANPOUR: I'm not getting into an international --

AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN (through translator): Why didn't they allow the issue to be raised in the Security Council?

AMANPOUR: Everybody condemned her death, Mr. Foreign Minister. I'm literally just asking you whether, in Iran, you believe women have the right to peacefully protest.

And by the way, as you know better than I do. Sometimes the Morality Police are out, being aggressive. And sometimes the authorities say, Just take it easy. All right?

And what do we see? Since this presidency, we have seen a crackdown on women and their address and their rights. Why? Why does any regime -- why does any regime need to prove itself on the back of women's rights, their own bodily space? Why? Why is that?

AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN (through translator): My request to you, look, you're supposed to interview me, but you're actually having a confrontation with me.

AMANPOUR: This is one last question. Then I need to move on. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not an interview.

AMANPOUR: I'm trying to get an answer.

AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN (through translator): And this is not the way to conduct an interview.

AMANPOUR: I just wanted an answer, that's all.

AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN (through translator): Women in Iran have all of the necessary required freedoms within the framework of the law.

Do you ask other countries? Do you ask the other countries who are in our region but are allies of the United States the same kinds of questions that you're asking me about the women's hijab?

The issue in Iran at the moment is not that of hijab. What has hijab got to do with the enemy (ph) terrorists? Ask them. What is this hijab they are wearing?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRAK: Christiane Amanpour.

U.S. President Joe Biden called for new voting rights protections at an event marking the 58th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday march in Selma, Alabama.

On that day, in 1965, state troopers attacked hundreds of civil rights marchers attempting to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Dozens were injured and 17 people had to be hospitalized, including the late congressman, John Lewis.

[00:35:05]

Mr. Biden called for a passage of a sweeping voting rights measure, named after Lewis, arguing it's the right to vote that makes democracy possible.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Selma is a reckoning. The right to vote, the right to vote and to have your vote counted is the threshold of democracy and liberty. With it, anything is possible. Without it, without that right, nothing is possible. N

And this fundamental right remains under assault. Conservatives Supreme Court has gutted the Voting Rights Act over the years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: Migrants in Tunisia are experiencing fear and turmoil after the president made seemingly racist comments about illegal immigration.

As we hear now from CNN's Larry Madowo, many of them are now fleeing the North African nation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, NN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An unexpected return home. Hundreds of people arrive in Mali from Tunisia, where they say it's no longer safe for them.

ABRAMANE DOUMBIA, STUDENT (through translator): I don't go out anymore. I stayed in my house. I was locked up at home.

MADOWO (voice-over): Almost two weeks ago, Tunisian President Kais Saied sparked a backlash against migrants with his controversial remarks, saying illegal immigration from South Saharan Africa was a conspiracy to change the racial makeup of Tunisia.

Saied also blamed illegal migrants for crime in the country and ordered security forces to crack down on them.

Migrants with and without papers say they now live in fear in Tunisia. Incendiary remarks, resulting in evictions, firings, and even attacks on some migrants.

Many say they want to leave the country, lining up at their embassies for repatriation, rather than face prejudice or worse if they stay.

WILFRID, IVORIAN IN TUNISIA (through translator): Landlords are kicking me out. We are beaten and mistreated. For more security, we prefer to come to our embassy to register, to return to Ivory Coast.

MADOWO (voice-over): Saied has since denied his comments were racist, saying legal migrants have nothing to fear. But reiterated his belief that illegal immigrants are causing the downfall of the country.

KAIS SAIED, TUNISIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): This is a matter for the state. It must take its responsibilities. There is no question of allowing anyone in an illegal situation to stay in Tunisia. There's a state and institutions.

MADOWO (voice-over): Saied's remarks are causing shock waves across the continent, the African Union calling them racist and shocking.

Countries like the Ivory Coast, Mali, Guinea and Gabon are now working to have their citizens leave the country.

But some migrants say they've got nothing to go back to in their home countries. Even though some are living on the streets after they say mobs have ransacked the homes, fueled by the president's words.

NATASHA, SIERRA LEONEAN LIVING IN TUNISIA: We need help. We need help from all over the world. We are really suffering here. Things are not really (UNINTELLIGIBLE). You can see in the place that we are sleeping. This is not a place you want to sleep. We are suffering.

MADOWO (voice-over): Tunisia is home to about 20,000 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. The country has visa-free travel for many African countries and has become a transit point for many illegal migrants trying to cross to Europe.

It's also a country sliding away from democracy to one-man rule. In 2021, Saied suspended Parliament, making way for a new constitution that took away many of the government's checks and balances; consolidating power with himself.

On Sunday, Tunisian demonstrators gathered in the capital of Tunis, despite a ban on the rally, to protest against the president and the recent arrests of opposition leaders. A crackdown of critics, and a purge of migrants, signs Tunisia's time as a democracy may be ticking away.

Larry Madowo, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRAK: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:41:17]

HARRAK: Actor and comedian Chris Rock is finally addressing the slap at last year's Academy Awards in his new Netflix special. It was almost a year ago that actor Will Smith smacked Rock after he made jokes about Smith's wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith.

CNN's Chloe Melas reports.

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CHLOE MELAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Chris Rock took the stage for his Netflix standup special, and he gave everybody what they came to see. He finally addressed the Oscars slap, when Will Smith took to the stage at last year's Oscars and slapped him across the face. Take a listen to a little bit of what Chris Rock had to say.

CHRIS ROCK, COMEDIAN: You all know what happened to me, getting smacked by "Suge" Smith. It still hurts. I got "Summertime" ringing in my ears.

I love Will Smith. My whole life I loved this (EXPLETIVE DELETED). My whole life I root for this (EXPLETIVE DELETED). OK. And now, I watched "Emancipation" just to see him get whipped.

MELAS (voice-over): This is only part of what Chris Rock said. He made the jokes at nearly the end of this two-hour special that was livestreamed, and it was live on Netflix. There were a lot of comedians and friends of his in attendance. Some who opened for him. Some were just in the audience.

But the crowd erupted into laughter.

You know, CNN has reached out to Will Smith's camp for comment. In the special, he says that he's not going to be sitting down with Oprah or anything like that anytime soon.

So for now, this is Chris Rock addressing a slap. And I can only imagine that it will still be fodder for jokes of Chris Rock to come.

MELAS: But overall, people are really, really happy with the special. And he's getting a lot of praise for it.

Back to you.

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HARRAK: This just in.

And world No. 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from this week's BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in California. Well, the Serb's exit comes after he said last month he had hoped for a positive result on U.S. tennis tournament participation after applying for special permission to play.

The U.S. Requires international visitors to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and Djokovic has said publicly he remains unvaccinated.

And that wraps up CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Laila Harrak. WORLD SPORT is up next. And I'll be back with more news in about 15 minutes' time. See you then.

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